Words are running out to describe the mismanagement with which South Africa is bombarded daily. The misuse of funds in the department of agriculture, as revealed in the portfolio committee’s budget review and recommendations report, still needs to be considered by the national assembly.
The report indicates that wasteful expenditure of R33,000 in the 2021-22 financial year has drastically increased to R30 million in the 2022-23 year. Most of it is due to payment for services not rendered. Theft and corruption continue to prevail.
“It is becoming the norm, and it seems as if people are getting used to it over time. This is entirely unacceptable. The taxpayer can no longer support a government that shows no responsibility for budget management, especially when there are people who have no food to eat,” says Erika Helm, chairperson of TLU SA’s Local Government Committee.
The main objectives of the department of agriculture is to create and support an environment where successful farmers can farm profitably, thereby ensuring food security for all South Africans. TLU SA is concerned that these objectives are not in the interest of all farmers and serve as a front for more theft and corruption.
Determining who is guilty should be a straightforward exercise, and criminal charges should be filed against them. However, the punishment for this type of behaviour is light, as there are no measures to deter offenders.
“The department of agriculture is now facing an integrity test. The political head of the department should be responsible and accountable for her department’s actions. The question of what happened to oversight will probably remain unanswered, as with many other corruption and self-enrichment cases,” says Bennie van Zyl, TLU SA General Manager.
However, if reports like these are treated as the norm by which our country is governed, it is a slap in the face of every taxpayer. The cost of the current policy direction has indeed become too expensive for South Africa.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
